LABOUR MATTERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue 49, 26 August 1904, Page 5

LABOUR MATTERS.

REPCffIfT ON TILE YEAR'S WORK. SOME ARBITRATION ACT SUGGESTIONS. The report of tho Secretary of the Labour Department for tho year ended 31st March last wus presented iv the liotisc yesterday afternoon. It states that tho year has been exceedingly prosperous for a large majority of workers. Municipal enterprises, t>ut:h as electric tramways, has absorbed surplus labour near cities, 1 and in coun\tvy districts men have been hard to obtain. The building trades have been very fully employed all over tho colony, especially in tho larger towns. Wellington alono lias added to tho value of inhabited property during tho hist five years to tho extent of £1,613,722. The better class of carpenters were- scarce even when lls a day was offered ; masons and bricklayers received high wages, while the call for competent plasterers is still unsatisfied. Engineering work is showing improvement, and is fast recovering from tho dullness experienced after the temporary collapse of tho gold-dredging industry. Tho boot and shoe trade shows much more cheering symptoms and promises increase of output in a marked degree. Tho woollen mills have steadily kept up their full employing capacity the only drawback to their increased trade being tho difficulty in getting snflicient labour. Laundry work almost doubled. There was some falling-oil in business among tanners and felhnongers, while tho saddlery and harness ma King trade was decidedly decadent. Tailoring, clothing (factory), and dressmaking were very buoyant, and called for much overtime work. Agricultural workers havo | been equally in demand, and the increase of exports and accumulation of savings banks deposits aro pointed to as an indication of prosperity and thrift. Co-operative works kept 3000 men employed, and the number of men for whom tho Department, found employment was 2860, of whom 777 wore married and had 3085 dependents. Since 1891 the 13epartnient had assisted 35,242 persons, with 73,855 dependents, to employment. It is stated that tho Factories Act. hns worked well throughout tho colony. There was little friction, tho majority of employers doing thoir be«t to comply with tho rcquirehients of the Act. The question of overtimo is still full of difficulties, and non-unionists, ..especially women, had to bo carefully -watched over. Tho condition of thoso under 21 years had beon greatly improved by the provision for an annually increasing, wage. Tho increase in tho number of factory hands since 1895 Mas 34,089, tho ligures for 1903 being 63,968, or 4921 moro than in 1902. The Act regulating shops and offices had been fairly well observed, but it was clouded with amendments, and required consolidating. The growing practice of aending shop girls away for an interval in the day and then requiring them to work late in tho evening should bo restricted by legislation. It was a hardship that certain shops had to close on a half-holiday, while others, celling tho some goods, remain open. Chemwts sold photographic goods fruiterers sold cut flowers, and the opinion is oyprtwsed that thoro should bo no exemption for any chop oxcopt chemists* and those only in regard to the salo of necessary medicine*. In regard to tbo Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act it~Ts deemed adviwablo to prevent unions or private individuals taking proceedings against employers for breaches of awards, ns a fcelinp of hostility might be engendered, and it is recommended that tbo union shall be competent to ]»y on information and conduct a ciuw only when the Inspector of Awards has declined to do so. The necossity of caumg the work of tho Arbitration Court in urged, and tho appouUineut of another Judgo suggested. In tho coco of a unionist accoptiug smaller wages than stipulated by an award it is suggested that he should bo made personally liable for his own breach of the law, instead of tho burden falling on tho union; and it ie further suggested that thoro should bo a limit to tho timo for which back wages should bo paid in a breach of award. Iji some case* workers wero themselves at fault and should bo fined instead of rewurded. The interpretation of section 86, «übscotion 3, of tho Act of 1900 should be made clear by Parliament aa to whether an employer in a district is covered by an award, oven, though ho was not cited. At present thero was room for corruption by tho omission of certain names from citation. The appointment of Inspectors of Awards had been justified by results, one inspector recovering £300 of bock wages. Last year the expenses under tho Act amounted to £461 for Conciliation Boards and £2428 for tho Arbitration Court. Thero was elill necessity for supervising servants' registry offices*, and it. would bo an advantage if it was modo necessary for th<} registry office keeper to show a duplicate on the block of the receipt book of moneys received. It is regarded as doubtful whether private rogiatry offices ore not a mistake, and " State control " is hinted at as a better way of bringing tho work and tho woi&or together. rhoro aro now 372 unions on tho register, totalling 30,720 members, 3080 of whom aro employers.